St. Louis, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
St. Louis, MO Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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C
Income Below average
-
B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | St. Louis | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 288,409 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4358.4 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.14% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.4 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 144,822 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in St. Louis declined by 18.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 288,409 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in St. Louis is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 26.0% of residents. That is 4.7 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 64,768 22.5% +1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 74,909 26.0% +4.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 54,830 19.0% -0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 44,178 15.3% -2.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Missouri, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.6% of the people living in St. Louis and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 48.4% Missouri 49.3%
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100% of everyone living in St. Louis
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Economy
St. Louis has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | St. Louis | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,792 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.55% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in St. Louis is about 20% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | St. Louis | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $53,557 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $996 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 45.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in St. Louis is about 4.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $996 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in St. Louis spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | St. Louis | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.5 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,360 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,161 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,420 | 923 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in St. Louis is about the same as in Missouri.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
St. Louis has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | St. Louis | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.6% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.92 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Health
St. Louis has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | St. Louis | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.4 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.2% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.3% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about St. Louis, Missouri.
How many people live in St. Louis, Missouri?
About 288,409 people live in St. Louis, Missouri, in 144,822 households of 1.9 people on average. The median age is 38.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is St. Louis, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, St. Louis, Missouri has 4,358 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 50 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in St. Louis, Missouri?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($53,557 against $56,792), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $996 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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